1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an air bag module for use on the driver side of automotive and other vehicles wherein an inflatable air bag or cushion is inflated in the event of a collision to protect the driver from injury that could result from being forcibly thrown against the steering wheel, dashboard, etc. The air bag module uses a tubular inflator assembly.
2. Description of the Related Art
Inflator assemblies that currently are in use in driver side air bag modules, as disclosed, for example, in U.S. Application for Patent bearing Ser. No. 07/820,826, filed Jan. 15, 1992 by Gary V. Adams and Bradley W. Smith, pending typically are toroidal types having flat, disk-like shapes with the dimensions of the inflator assembly typically being about two inches (2") thick and four inches (4") in diameter, much of the inflatable cushion stored in the air bag module is folded in front of the inflator assembly as opposed to the sides thereof. While an inflator assembly having a tubular shape would allow much of the cushion to be folded on the sides thereof in an air bag module, a tubular inflator assembly will not fit in driver side air bag modules as they are currently designed.
Inflator assemblies of the toroidal type produce a cushion inflating gas source from a combustible gas generating material which, upon ignition, generates a quantity of gas sufficient to inflate the cushion. One form of tubular inflator assembly similarly is operative to generate gas for inflating cushions from a combustible gas generating material. In another form of tubular inflator assembly, however, the cushion inflating gas results from a combination of stored compressed gas and a gas generating material. The latter form of tubular inflator assembly is commonly referred to as an augmented gas or hybrid inflator. Hybrid inflators affect the performance of air bag modules in several ways including variation in the amount of stored gas, the transmission of heat to the stored gas and the rate at which the inflating gas is dispensed into the inflatable cushion.
There is a need and a demand to provide a driver side air bag module in which a tubular inflator assembly may be used to facilitate folding of much of the cushion on the sides of the inflator and to affect the performance of the air bag module. The present invention was devised to fill the technological gap that has existed in the art in these respects.